Gaining development approval in south east Queensland can be a costly and time consuming exercise, and as many with firsthand experience will know, a regulatory mind field.

What is the cost of development application red tape?

Figures acquired by Brisbane Times  from the South East Queensland Council of mayors state development applications for large sub-divisions take nearly 360 days on average to be approved, adding an extra $20,000 to the cost of each house.

Many Queenslander homes are subject to similar, lengthy development approval time frames for common place projects such as a raise and build in under. The hold-ups are attributed to repeated requests for more information made by council officers to the applicants, even though more than 90% of DA’s were ultimately successful.

There is hope, with Logan council testing a pilot program for Operational works and large subdivisions, with one development application assessed in less than 50 business days. The strategy underpinning the pilot programs early success is the collaboration between developers and councils during the application drafting stage to ensure key issues are resolved prior to lodgement.

At SEQ Building Design we know the difference careful planning can have on development application approvals by ensuring all the information provided to town planning and councils is correct and right first time, delivering a significant reduction in time and holding costs for our clients through minimizing the ‘back and forth’ between council.

Although proposed development approval changes are focused on large scale developments, to see councils working toward streamlining the assessment process is bound to be a positive for South East Queensland home owners planning a major renovation or sub-division.

SEQ Building Design has over 16 years’ experience designing and planning ‘Up and Unders’ for iconic Queenslanders, so if you have any questions regarding the planning and approval process and how we can save you time and money raising your home call the team on 07 3257 7224